An Interview with Chloe Sargeant

Chloe is a music producer and composer who is already working on other projects aside from Timeless. A NYC native, she now lives in Pennsylvania with her two dogs, two parakeets, and her dad. Creating great stories that inspire, uplift, and call for positive change is what she gravitates to.

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What inspired you to start writing this book?

I’ve been writing stories like this since my childhood. I’ve always written my own stories, and even created an anime and manga series with a soundtrack, which is sadly on hiatus for the moment. However, The Timeless came about when I thought about a girl trapped in another world, similar to The Lord of the Rings or The Legend of Zelda. But sadly, when I started, it was eerily similar to a fan fic rather than its own story, though it had good characters, adventure set up, etc. I was trying to figure out what was wrong; nothing came to mind except that it sounded, once again, like fan fiction. Giving up, I placed it on the shelves of unmarketable material. Until one day…the main theme called to me. And once back in college, I pitched the once idea to my roommate, and she said: “It sounds good, you should make it into a book. I’ll read it.” Thus, the journey to Nova began…

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

The premise of The Timeless was a bit tricky. While I may have a knack for the right titles, I wasn’t too sure in the beginning because titles have meaning, have purposes. It’s the very first thing your potential reader, viewer, gamer, or listener is going to respond to. I had to discover why that title, which could just be generic. It wasn’t until I started writing and the story started unfolding that I began to understand with open eyes. It’s not just a title, it’s symbolic.

Describe your dream book cover.

Something ethereal, unique, and timeless. Something simple like Wings, a YA novel about a teen who learned she was a fairy.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

My soundtrack is a four-disc CD that you can imagine would sound like Lord of the Rings, Japanese animation, video games, romantic like the Thumbelina animation, trance, alternative rock, Christian, world music, etc. All the music is original, as I’m also a music producer and composer. It has a main theme, a rendition, and an ending. A song also to be sung by its male lead.

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

As of now, my Bible and other works adapted to film. I’ve been so into Timeless that I have no room for other books, lest it become mimicking, which I didn’t want in my head. While you can learn strong writing skills, I believe your story should be your own. That’s what made Timeless unique and distinctive. It’s not borrowed but told in its integrity. If we had a talk written now, I’m not writing someone else’s story. I’m concerned about our story. Your story. That is what helps me to write the book, because I’m concerned about my characters’ lives, or else why write it? For research, it’s historical articles or books on medieval times.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

My first job was as a ride operator at an amusement park, then I became a caregiver for my late mother. She passed on when I was just twenty-three. Then I became a college student, and caregiver again to my now late grandmother, who passed aged one hundred. I was a caregiver for more than a decade to two amazing people. As of now, I’ve held retail and customer service jobs while still pursuing my education.

What my readers wouldn’t know is everything already said: composer, producer, screenwriter, graphic/manga/concept artist, now author, and many more. I was almost going to become a psychologist, and am learning Japanese.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I’ve always been a creative person. Writing helped me overcome personal challenges from bullying at school, isolation, etc. I always watched Disney movies, played video games, mostly JRPG, anime, manga, etc. I listen to James Newton Howard and Steven Spielberg, to Yoko Shimomura, Yuki Kajiura and Phil Collins, to Christian music like Paul Wilber and Joshua Aaron. Essentially, I wanted to be a music producer and composer, which I am now, producing my own shows or helping in post-production. However, entertainment in general has always been what I’ve enjoyed. But I loved wholesome stories with lessons. It was hard to find those types. So I created Timeless as my second project.

Where is your favorite place to write?

In my room. I always find comfort in my own space. But when not at home, I write anywhere. On the go, at work, school, anywhere. Never stop writing. Heck, I voice-type my stories if I have to, and then have it on my phone to transfer to my computer. Anywhere quiet or where I can isolate myself. Headphones work.

What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?

Keep going. Anybody who says you’re too young does not understand that it is a choice to put in the work or not. Jesus says to get wisdom, continue to seek wisdom. Believe in yourself, even if you feel at times like you’re not good enough. Write on anyway.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

I hope that readers will be able to take the lessons learned and be able to apply them in their lives through the female and male leads’ adventures. That they get to ask profound questions, that it may change their perspectives, and they believe that anything is possible. And though it is written as fiction, it was created as if it were happening in real time. Who knows. One day, you too may find yourself on Nova. Welcome to a New World.

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Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.